The Inside Story of Skull and Bones’ Development: From Delays to Reboots

Skull and Bones, the much-anticipated pirate game from Ubisoft, has undergone a tumultuous development journey. With numerous delays and reboots, the game has transformed from its initial concept to the live-service, open-world survival title it is today.

In Skull and Bones, players explore the Indian Ocean, a vast open world where they can hunt for resources, take on contracts, and build their infamy to become a pirate kingpin. The game’s minimalist story allows for self-made adventures and the tales of other players sailing the online seas.

However, Skull and Bones was not always this way. The game has gone through multiple iterations, each with different concepts and designs. Our journey begins in 2017 when Ubisoft revealed a pirate game at its E3 conference, led by creative director Justin Farren. The presentation showcased a shared, systemic world where players could sail solo or form pirate gangs. But the gameplay demo featured a 5v5 multiplayer mode called “Loot Hunt,” which seemed more like a naval-themed hero shooter than the MMO Farren described.

Ubisoft assured that Skull and Bones would be more than what was shown, with a shared world, seasonal content, and a narrative campaign. The game was initially planned for a fall 2018 release. However, just weeks before E3 2018, it was delayed until “at least 2019.” The following year, it was delayed again until sometime after March 2020, and Ubisoft’s E3 2019 conference did not even show new screenshots. In 2020, another delay was announced due to a “new vision,” leading to a fourth delay.

During this time, there was little information about Skull and Bones. In July 2021, a damning report from Kotaku painted a picture of chaos within Ubisoft Singapore, the studio developing the game. The report claimed that over eight years, Skull and Bones had been helmed by three different creative directors, each working on different documents, resulting in scrapped concepts like an Assassin’s Creed spin-off and the modes shown at E3. Anonymous interviews with current and former developers suggested a mismanaged project lacking direction.

The Singapore studio started life in 2008 as a small support studio. Over the years, it grew to a few hundred staff, working on franchises such as Prince of Persia and Ghost Recon. Its most famous creation was Assassin’s Creed 3’s naval combat, which formed the foundation of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. With this success, the Singapore team saw a new future for themselves. They wanted to create an original game, taking naval combat to the next level. But building a new IP is a challenging task, particularly for a lead developer.

In late 2018, Farren prepared to leave Ubisoft Singapore. The need for a new creative director raised questions about the game’s identity. Was it a PvP multiplayer arena or a co-op open-world? Was it a narrative campaign or a live-service game? To survive the development storm, Skull and Bones needed a steady hand. Ubisoft found that in Elisabeth Pellen, a 20-year Ubisoft veteran and Vice President of its Editorial Team. She had significant experience in directing games with online features, making her an ideal candidate for a project attempting to define its multiplayer identity.

“[Ubisoft was] looking for someone to help them turn the most promising prototypes and demos into a fuller game experience,” Pellen recalled.

Prototypes and demos. Despite planning for a 2018 release, Skull and Bones underwent significant changes. The team experimented with various concepts, each with its unique challenges. One prototype focused on a shared world where players could form pirate gangs and raid merchant ships. Another prototype was a naval-themed battle royale. Yet another was a cooperative game where players worked together to take down powerful enemy warships.

Throughout these experiments, the team faced numerous challenges. Balancing the game’s economy was a significant hurdle. They also struggled to create a compelling narrative campaign that flowed into the multiplayer experience. Additionally, they encountered technical challenges, such as optimizing the game for various platforms and ensuring smooth online multiplayer.

Despite these challenges, the team remained committed to their vision. They continued to refine the game, incorporating feedback from playtests and community engagement. They also collaborated with external partners, such as composers and voice actors, to enhance the game’s atmosphere and immersion.

In 2021, Skull and Bones finally emerged from development, ready to set sail. The final product is a live-service, open-world survival game where players can explore the Indian Ocean, hunt for resources, and build their infamy. The game’s minimalist story allows for self-made adventures and the tales of other players sailing the online seas.

The development journey of Skull and Bones serves as a reminder of the challenges and complexities involved in creating a new IP. It also highlights the importance of leadership, experimentation, and perseverance in bringing a game to life. Despite the numerous delays and reboots, the team remained committed to their vision, and Skull and Bones is now ready to embark on its journey to the high seas.